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Bumblebees are different from honeybees in that they form short-term colonies and construct their own nests in existing cavities.They are docile and will only sting if severely aggravated.

All bumblebees require nectar for energy and pollen for protein in order to survive.They are natural pollinators, collecting pollen on their furry coats and transferring it from flower to flower before taking it back to the nest.

Bumblebees are now being used to pollinate crops as they are less dependent on weather conditions than honeybees, operate in cloudy conditions and can work in colder weather than honeybees.

Bumblebees are suitable for pollinating a wide range of crops such as strawberries, blueberries, currants, cherries, raspberries, tomatoes, beans, peppers, plums, apples and pears. Good pollination will improve the yield and quality of the crop. The colony consists of a queen and workers, with a supply of ‘nectar’ to feed the bumblebees if a natural source of nectar is in short supply.

Place your colony in the garden, open it and the bumblebees will fly out to forage for pollen. At the end of the life of the colony, the bumblebees will die off. However new queens will be produced that will fly away to create colonies of their own.